Internationally acclaimed stage director James Marvel was born and raised in New Orleans and made his Lincoln Center debut in 2008 for the Juilliard Opera Center. Since his professional directing debut in 1996, James has directed over 200 productions and was named Classical Singer Magazine’s “Stage Director of the Year.” Career highlights include new productions for the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Opera Carolina, Opera Boston, Opera Santa Barbara, Syracuse Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Austin Lyric Opera, San Antonio Opera, Kentucky Opera, Virginia Opera, North Carolina Opera, Toledo Opera, Sacramento Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Marble City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program.

International credits include a new production of Carmen for Opera Africa in Johannesburg and Die Zauberflote for the Seoul International Opera in South Korea. Other international credits include work in Canada, Scotland, England, Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. He currently serves as the Opera Director for Florida State University.